Every month we will focus on a specific theme, featuring a selection of articles which have previously been published in Hydro International magazine. By including a mix of older and more recent articles, we will present a complete recap of the subject. Furthermore, we will be bringing you a bi-weekly round-up of ‘Focus Stories’ related to the theme through our newsletter (sign up here). The theme for July 2017 is:

Unmanned Systems

Hydrography uses them in various ways that we assume to be familiar: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), ROVs, Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). They serve many applications – the choice of articles may be of inspiration for yours!

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and associated undersea technologies have demonstrated exceptional current utility and great growth potential for military, governmental and commercial maritime agencies as well as for ocean research institutions. While sustained and agg...
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Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are a recurrent theme in maritime and offshore applications, and in particular those involving long and costly data-gathering operations such as hydrographic surveys. Challenging surveys like those required for search operations followin...
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About the Focus Stories

Every month we will focus on a specific theme, featuring a selection of articles which have previously been published in Hydro International magazine. to present a complete recap of the subject. If you don't want to miss these themed recaps, sign up for the newsletter (sign up here).

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are gaining terrain in hydrographic surveying. They combine the advantages of small survey vessels with those of unmanned survey platforms, giving them a range of applications that is likely to expand even more. They enable hydrographic...
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Hydrographic surveying in ultra-shallow, inland and enclosed waters can prove extremely challenging and often presents increased risks and obstacles to both personnel and equipment. These considerations include health and safety issues, potential damage to equipment, lack of...
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An USBL underwater positioning system is the ideal solution for dam survey by ROV, providing easy and fast set-up and accurate 3D measurement for traceability, but not all USBL systems can meet the demands of this environment. PLSM (France) has developed a light and polyvale...
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The inspection and maintenance of vital resource facilities is an integral part of any regional health and stability management programme. Providing consistent quality output whilst reducing inspection and maintenance costs is key for those involved in the provision of such...
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Earlier this year, the US Navy deployed a Bluefin-21 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The tragic disappearance was thought to have occurred over 1,600 kilometres offshore Perth in a remote and very deep region of the...
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TerraSond, a hydrographic services company based in Palmer, Alaska (USA), used a C-Worker 5 (CW5) unmanned autonomous surface vessel (ASV) in conjunction with a 105’ (32m) research vessel from June through August 2016 on a major hydrographic survey in the Bering Sea re...
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The wave-propelled AutoNaut unmanned surface vessel (USV) completed a short trial off the south-west coast of England to monitor the water quality by a sewage outfall. AutoNaut demonstrated its ability to reliably operate in shallow waters whilst also recording and transmitt...
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Robotics and autonomous systems are championed as one of the UK government’s ‘Eight Great Technologies’. The National Oceanography Centre is committed to maximising this technology to further ocean science and has purchased a fleet of innovative autonomous...
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The 2,708m-high Poás Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica, located 35km northwest of the capital San José. This stratovolcano contains a 300m-wide crater lake called the Laguna Caliente (‘hot lagoon’) filled with naturally hot,...
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TerraSond, a hydrographic services company based in Palmer, Alaska (USA), utilised an unmanned Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) to assist with the acquisition of survey data in July of 2015 in the northern Bering Strait region of Alaska. The 12’ ASV, a military target d...
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This last year has seen an increase in Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) sales and prospects for new sales. The lower than usual oil price may be responsible for much of that growth. Faced with operating in an increasingly harsh market where cost efficiencies can be the di...
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Globally, the proliferation of sensors and resultant explosion of data is growing at exponential rates. Every digital device and sensor is expected to be available day/night to provide instantaneous results. This is possible if sensors are land or space based. This is not th...
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Due to their particularly shallow and turbulent thermocline, conducting seafloor mapping in lochs, fjords and other estuaries always presents a unique challenge to the hydrographic surveyor. Surface vessels often struggle to obtain accurate measurements due to the highly var...
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In October 2015, Capt Brian D. Connon assumed the role of director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Maritime Safety Office. The organisation is an important, although not always visible, link in the global maritime safety chain. Its work contr...
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During the past few years, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have established a greater presence in the hydrographic survey market and in the collection of oceanographic environmental data. These vehicles can transit nonstop for long periods of time, and can work in area...
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This article presents the development, production and testing of wireless underwater acoustic video communications, which is unique in the world today. It also discusses the implementation of this technique on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) to perform inspectio...
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